The Final Adventure
by oddlittleoddball
Summary: Captain Hook is dead, Wendy has gone home to grow up, the lost boys have left him and Peter Pan is alone. Neverland has become a barren wasteland and Peter must bring Wendy back or Neverland will cease to exist.
1. Prologue

Prologue –  
  
_"She was leaving you Pan! Your Wendy was leaving you... why should she stay? What have you to offer? You are... incomplete! She'd rather grow up than stay here with you!"  
  
Looking down to the deck of the mahogany ship that lay beneath him, he saw her. Fighting her way through the masses of pirates that if given the chance, would willingly slit her throat. No matter what happened in this battle, she would still be leaving. Either ascending into the heavens by death or descending back down to the real world where she would grow up and he would never be able to see her again. Whichever way it happened, she would slip away and forget him. He'd given her everything he had, and she was still going back.  
  
"Let us now take a peep into the future. What's this I see? It is the fair Wendy. She's in the nursery. The window is closed"  
  
"I'll open it!" he yelled flying forward and lashing out. Wendy would never close his window.  
  
"I'm afraid the window's bared,"  
  
"I'll call out her name!"  
  
"I'm afraid she can't hear you,"  
  
"No!"  
  
"She can't see you,"  
  
"Wendy!"  
  
"She's forgotten all about you."  
  
"Stop! Please stop it!"  
  
He could feel the words weighing him down, dragging his young body closer to the deck of the ship that was now the only obstacle that lay between him and the thundering ocean.  
  
"And what is this I see? There is another in your place..."  
  
Looking up into the cold, blue, merciless eyes of his opponent he tried to brace himself for what was coming next, though no amount of preparation could have readied him for the final words:  
  
"He is called Husband!"  
  
This was all too much for him to handle. He wanted to cry out in pain, but couldn't seem to summon the strength. Unable to call forth one singular happy thought, his body plummeted back to earth and with it, he felt the sudden pain of colliding with the cold, hard, wooden deck.  
_  
"AAAHHH!" yelled Peter, waking up with a fright and whacking his head of the low ceiling that was raised only a few feet above his bed. Rubbing his bruised cranium, Peter arose from his fur covered, timber bed and walked over to his large oak table.  
  
Peter often dreamt of his final battle with Captain James Hook. There was a truth behind Hook's final word that deeply disturbed him and Peter hated him even more for it. Hook had planted a seed of doubt in his mind that could not be destroyed, not even by the kiss Wendy had bestowed upon him before she had left him to go and grow up... just as Hook said she would.  
  
It had now been three weeks since she had left Neverland and as much as he wanted to despise Wendy for leaving him, Peter could not bring himself to do it. He had attempted to stay away from the nursery, and failed miserably. At first he tried to tell himself that he was merely checking up on the lost boys, but deep down he knew why he kept returning. Wendy Moira Angela Darling.  
  
Peter had been so lonely without her. He didn't even have the lost boys to distract him anymore. Not only that, but he could not longer fight pirates as they had all disappeared after Captain Hook's untimely death. They now lived in fear that he, the legendary Peter Pan, would come to finish them off in a similar way to which he had executed Hook.  
  
With his sever lack of love for life, Neverland was becoming an uninhabitable barren wasteland, but Peter did not care. For the first time in his life, Peter Pan felt Neverland was inadequate. The mermaids, the Indians, the fairies... even flying had lost its excitement. No, what Peter craved more than anything else was the one thing Neverland could not provide. No, the thing he yearned for more than anything else could only be found in one place... London. And his time was running out... 


	2. Chapter One: The Return

Chapter One –  
  
Completely engrossed in a thrilling novel, Wendy Darling hardly noticed the loud knocking at her door. Although she was not yet thirteen she had moved out of the nursery two days ago. She now slept down the hall from her brothers, in what was once her father's study that now had been converted into a bedroom for her as a gift for her birthday, which was now only three days away and counting.  
  
Even though she was touched by her parents' generosity and greatly appreciated the effort they had gone to too make the change, Wendy did not want to leave the nursery. Having her own room was the final step to moving out of her childhood years and becoming an adult.  
  
It wasn't that Wendy disliked the responsibility that came with growing up; it was that fact that she would have to leave behind the one thing that meant more to her than anything else, Peter Pan. Though she had promised that she would never forget Peter, as each day passed and her thirteenth birthday drew closer, Wendy found it harder and harder to remember anything about him, or the time they had spent together in Neverland.  
  
Pausing from her book Wendy got up from her chair and walked over to the open window. Ignoring the knocking at her door that was now getting louder, Wendy stared out at the night sky, she found her gaze wandering to the second star to the right. Closing her eyes she forced her mind to remember that faithful night when Peter had come and whisked her away to Neverland, where the pirates and mermaids dwelt. _'No,'_ she though, _'I must forget it. I cannot keep living in a dreamworld.'_  
  
Wendy's thoughts were brought crashing back to earth when her seven brothers charged through her door paying absolutely no heed to what their parents had told them about Wendy needing privacy now that she was to become a woman. Personally, Wendy enjoyed the frequent interruptions brought on by her brothers. It made her feel like she was a little girl again when she played games with them and told them stories, like she had in Neverland. Not only that but it made her feel closer to Peter.  
  
"Wendy! Wendy! You must tell us a story," said John, rushing over to her.

"Please Wendy, it's been so long since you last told us a story," added Curly, one of the lost boys and also one of her newly adopted brothers, gazing up at her. Wendy had always had a soft spot when it came to Curly, and with his sparkling eyes pleading with her own deep blue ones, Wendy caved easily.  
  
Chuckling, she looked down at the seven eager faces waiting for her to begin. "Okay, what shall it be this time?" she questioned them, picking up Michael and walking over to a chair by the fireplace.

"What about the story of Peter Pan?" suggested Tootles, another one of her recently adopted brothers.

"Oh yes! Please tell us the one about Peter!" shouted all the boys. Wendy sighed, she told Peter's story at least once a week and the boys could now tell it just as well as she could. Well almost she thought smiling inwardly.  
  
"I'm sorry," she said pretending to look puzzled, "I can't remember that one. How does it start again?"  
  
"Once upon a time..." they shouted in unison.  
  
"Oh yes, that's right. Once upon a time there was a boy called Peter Pan who decided not to grow up..."

* * *

Flying through the air above the darkened streets of London, accompanied as always by his fairy companion Tinkerbell, Peter Pan made his way through the thick clouds that shielded him from prying eyes. With ferocious winds whipping past his partially naked body, Peter pressed on. He was numb with cold and the only thing that kept him going was the knowledge of what lay at the end of his journey.  
  
Eying the house from his perch in the clouds, Peter made sure that the Darling's dog cross nursemaid, Nana, was safely tied up outside and that Mr. and Mrs. Darling where nowhere in sight. Flying down to the house, Peter noticed that the window was not bared, nor was it locked. In fact, despite the cold weather the nursery window was wide open.  
  
Peter flew silently to the window and was surprised by what he saw. The nursery was empty. No Wendy, no John, no Michael, no lost boys. Stranger still, Wendy's bed was missing and there were now two twin beds in its place.  
  
"Wendy?" whispered Peter entering the nursery quietly. "Wendy are you there?" he whispered more urgently. Peter waited for a reply but none came. Stepping carefully over the toys that were left scattered across the floor, Peter made his way towards the door.  
  
Stepping boldly into the long hallway, Peter called out for Wendy again. Still no answer. He couldn't understand it. He and Tink had just visited the house two nights ago. Of course, Wendy wouldn't know that. Peter made sure he kept out of sight when he listened in on Wendy's stories at the window. He was afraid that if Wendy did see him, she would question his motive for being there, thus leading him into another uncomfortable conversation about his feelings. Last time they had had that little chat he had been accused of being 'ungallant and deficient'.  
  
Peter had spent many sleepless nights running over Wendy's words. He could remember them as clear as day, "Sir, you are both ungallant and deficient." He then cringed at his own pathetic response, "How am I deficient?" Pausing to remember the Wendy's next line Peter wondered if he was doing the right thing being here tonight. "You're just a boy." The words tormented him more than anything he had ever been subjected to in his life. Just a boy. He was more than 'just a boy'. He was the most amazing boy that had ever lived, not that Wendy could see it.  
  
Feeling his anger for Wendy and her stupid feelings growing stronger, Peter marched loudly down the hall, no longer caring who heard him. He wanted to tell Wendy what he really though of her and her wretched feelings. He was halfway down the corridor when he heard a familiar voice, telling a familiar tale...

* * *

"'Come with me' said Peter looking at Wendy with a mixture of excitement and adventure. Wendy looked up at him, then out the window, then back at Peter. 'I cannot fly,' she said, starting to feel as though she had acted too rashly and was now beginning to regret her request to join him in Neverland. 'I'll teach you,' Peter whispered back, taking her hand and pulling her gently towards the open window. 'I'll teach you to ride with wind's back and away we go.'" Wendy paused for dramatic effect, even though the boys knew what exactly came next.  
  
All the boys were completely enchanted by her story telling and none of them noticed the bedroom door creak slightly, and open. "Wendy pulled her hand away from Peter's and moved in-between the beds of her two brothers. 'Could John and Michael come too?' she asked, giving Peter a pleading look. Peter looked down at the two snoring boys and smiled a clear yes to Wendy. 'Michael! John! Wake up!' said Wendy, attempting to rouse her sleeping brothers. 'There is a boy here who is to teach us to fly!'"  
  
"Worst mistake I ever made," said a stranger's voice. Wendy whipped her head around searching for the source of the voice. Her eyes settled on a darkened corner of the room where she could only just make out a body's small frame.  
  
"Who are you, stranger?" she questioned, tightening her grip on Michael.

"I am Wendy Moria Angela Darling," said the outsider, their voice now sounding identical to Wendy's.  
  
"If you are Wendy," Wendy said standing up and putting Michael down among the other boys, "then who am I?"  
  
"You... are a codfish."  
  
Wendy stood protectively in front of the boys who were now all cowering behind her. Then suddenly it clicked. She'd heard this conversation before.  
  
"Tell me, Wendy," she said, unflinchingly stepping forward, "have you another name?"  
  
"Aye," said the voice.  
  
"Vegetable?" she asked walking slowly towards the mysterious visitor.  
  
"No," the voice replied.  
  
"Mineral?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Animal?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Man?"  
  
"No!" yelled back the voice sounding different now.  
  
"Boy?"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"Ordinary boy?"  
  
"NO!"  
  
"Wonderful boy?"  
  
"YES! Do you give up? I am..."  
  
"Peter...? Is it really you?"


	3. Chapter Two: The Questioning

Chapter Two –  
  
Wendy reached over and turned up the light. Standing back, she waited for the illuminating flames to reveal the figure that stood before her. Although he was still a boy, Peter Pan seemed to have changed from when she last saw him. It wasn't something physical, there was just something different about him, Wendy couldn't quite put her finger on it. His young partly clothed body was still tanned and covered in dirt as it had always been. His golden, blonde hair was still ruffled from his flight across town, and his piercing blue eyes still held the mischievous glint that had originally drawn her to him.  
  
"Hello Wendy," said Peter softly. He wanted to be angry, he wanted to yell and scream and shout, but he couldn't do it. As soon as he saw her Peter's heart did a back flip, and no matter how hard he tried, Peter could not bring himself to cause her any pain. The way the soft light played upon her milky white skin and danced across her honey coloured hair made Peter knees buckle beneath him.  
  
Peter's eyes locked on Wendy's and he was enchanted with the way they seemed to sparkle in the dim light. Wendy stared back into Peter's own piecing eyes felt as if she could have drowned in their depth.  
  
Completely lost in the moment, the two of them seemed to have forgotten that there were seven other boys present. Wendy's brothers were delighted that Peter had come back. However, they did not appreciate being totally ignored.  
  
"Eh hum! So sorry to interrupt folks," said John completely breaking the mood. "But Peter, what are you doing here?"  
  
"Yeah, why have you come back Peter?" asked Nibbs. "You said that you would never come back and grow up."  
  
"Does a father need a reason to visit his children?" Peter queried, drawing his gaze away from Wendy. He had decided not to tell the boys about what as happening to Neverland, at least not yet. First he must convince them to come back with him. Then and only then could Neverland be replenished and become the magnificent place it had once been.  
  
"But, we already have a father," said one of the twins.

"And a mother," added Curley. Peter looked around at the boys who were now all nodding in agreement. _'What's going on here?'_ Peter though. Not so long ago every one of these boys would have gladly given their life for him. But now, he was questioned as to why he was here. No one ever questioned Peter Pan's authority. Looking down at the sea of young faces, Peter could see he no longer held their loyalty.  
  
Seeing the rejection clearly written on Peter's face, Wendy decided it was time for her to speak up. "Come on boys, time for bed," she said. Though her request was met with much resistance, Wendy's word was final. When Mr. and Mrs. Darling are out whatever Wendy says goes. Reluctantly, the boys trudged out the bedroom door, but they had no intention to go to bed. As soon as Wendy closed the door, they all dashed back to find out what was going on. They all knew there was something going on between Peter Pan and Wendy Darling; the question now posed was what was to come of it? Ears pressed against the door, they listened eagerly to find out.  
  
"Why have you come back Peter?" Wendy asked moving closer towards him.

"I told you," he said, "I wanted to see the boys." Wendy could tell he was lying but she decided to go along with his ruse, just to see how far he could go before he would have to tell her the truth.

"Oh Peter I'm sorry," she said pretending to look disappointed, "I'll bring them back in here." Wendy reached for the doorhandle but Peter seized her hand before she could reach it.  
  
Wendy questionably raised an eyebrow at him. "But I thought you said you wanted to see the boys," she said sounding confused.

"Oh, right... ummm... I do, just not right now. Like you said, it's time for them to go to bed. They look tired anyway." Peter said quickly. "But if they go to bed now they won't be awake until the morning. I can only presume you won't be waiting around for them for that long. Besides, mother and father will be home by then and will be most displeased with you're being here."  
  
Wendy's Aunt Millicent had insisted upon Mr. and Mrs. Darling attending more parties as 'damage control'. Not so long ago, for some reason unknown to him, Mr. Darling had blatantly told the board members at the bank that he... believed in fairies. As you can probably imagine, this did not go down to well with the Mr. Darling's superior at the bank, Sir Edward Quilligar, especially after the their dog slash nursemaid had come crashing into him while he been trying, though not succeeding, to make polite conversation with Sir Edward.  
  
"Wendy come back with me," Peter blurted out taking her completely off guard.

"Wha-what?" she stammered pulling her hand away from his and stepping back. This was the last thing she expected... well maybe not the last thing, but it wasn't high up on her things-Peter-Pan-will-probably-ask- me list.

"Wendy... you must come back with me," Peter said, quickly stepping forward to reclaim her hand.

"Why? Why should I go back Peter?"  
  
"Because... because..." he faulted. Peter knew he should tell Wendy how much he craved for her. He needed her like he needed oxygen... "Because the pirates are back," he lied. "I can't beat them by myself," he continued, "they are too many. Wendy, I need your help."

_'So that's why he's back,'_ Wendy thought glumly. _'It wasn't for her; it was for his own profit and gain. Well Peter Pan, I'm afraid I won't be conned into leaving everything I know and love behind so easily this time.'_  
  
"I'm sorry Peter, but if it's an army you've come in search of I'm afraid your efforts will have been in vain, my brothers and I will not be joining you in Neverland this time, it is not our battle to fight. Our lives are in the real world now."  
  
"But Wendy," said Peter looking at her intensely, "I didn't ask if the boys could come... I only want you."


	4. Chapter Three: The Steal

Chapter Three –  
  
Wendy looked taken aback by this sudden revelation. "To come," Peter added quickly. "I only want you to come with me to Neverland."  
  
"Oh, right.... of course. I knew what you meant," said Wendy looking crestfallen. _'Why couldn't he just say it properly? God knew he wanted to tell her, he was bursting to tell her. Maybe it just wasn't the right time. Yes, that was it, it wasn't the right time. He would tell her when they got to Neverland. The only obstacle now was convincing her to go to Neverland.'_  
  
"But Peter," said Wendy sounding puzzled, "if you need help fighting pirates then won't you need as many men as you can find?"  
  
"'One girl is worth twenty boys.'" Replied Peter grinning. Wendy however, did not smile back. She refused to let herself be drawn in by Peter's persuasive charms and charismatic smile. "I'm not falling for that one again Peter Pan," she said fiercely. "If you want to fight pirates then you will do it alone and you will not come flying in nursery windows and stealing anymore children from their beds in the middle of the night. Now I want you to leave me and my brothers alone and go home, you will no receive what it is you wish to acquire tonight."  
  
"If you wish it," said Peter softly, tears welling in his eyes.

"I do," she said glaring at him coldly. This was not the Wendy he remembered. The Wendy he knew was kind, compassionate and caring, qualities the girl standing before him did not appear to possess.  
  
Peter turned to open the door but Wendy seized his arm in protest. "You can leave through my window," she said pulling him back. "The boys will probably be asleep by now and I don't want you waking them on your way out."  
  
"Wendy please," Peter implored, taking a step towards her. But Wendy shut out his pleas and stepped away from him. "Peter just leave," she choked. She was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to fall into his arms and cry. She cared for him so much but he could not return her feelings. "Wendy," Peter tried again, "I don't think you understand..."  
  
"No Peter, I think it is you who does not understand," Wendy snapped angrily. "You come back here and asked me to just drop everything so that I can go back to Neverland with you and fight pirates! I tell you exactly how I feel about you and you... you don't even have the decency to tell me how you feel about... well, how you feel about anything!"  
  
Wendy broke off from her temper driven rant to take a breath. Her breathing was heavy and laboured and when she looked up at Peter she couldn't suppress all the emotions churning inside her. Breaking down, Wendy collapsed against the wall behind her, buried her face in her hands and began to cry. Peter was stunned. He had no idea Wendy held such malice towards him, or how much pain he had caused her.  
  
Crouching down beside her, Peter attempted to comfort her but he didn't know what to say. He'd lived with boys his whole life and had no idea how to react to a crying girl. Nevertheless, it broke Peter's heart to see Wendy like this so he took his best shot.  
  
"Wendy," Peter whispered, "I am sorry for the grief I have caused you. If it is your wish for me to return to Neverland then it will be done."

Wendy was shocked at his suggestion to never return. What he was offering her was a normal life with out any unusual complications. It also meant that she would never find absolution. If Peter left forever she'd never know what could have been. As much as Wendy didn't want to do it, she had a decision to make.  
  
"Listen to me Peter and listen very carefully. You live in a world without rules, regulations or guidelines. I do not think you fully understand the implications of your request. My life is here now and I cannot afford to be infatuated with a boy who does not really exist," as much as it pained her to speak these words, Wendy knew they must be said. "In three days time I shall grow up..."  
  
"Grow up!" Peter gasped looking horrified. If Wendy grew up she could never return to Neverland. Even though he had offered never to return to her again, Peter did not mean it. He knew that Wendy would never ask him to go away forever... at least he didn't think she would...  
  
"Yes Peter," said Wendy, taking his hand. "For all children grow up, eventually." Peter withdrew his hand from Wendy's. What was going on with her? A few seconds ago she was distressed and crying, and before that she was angry and spiteful. Now she was back to being caring and sympathetic. He was so very confused.  
  
"But Wendy," said Peter desperately, "if you grow up you can never return to Neverland."  
  
"I have no intention to return to Neverland, Peter. Now if you don't mind, I think it's time for you to go. I have to check on the boys, goodnight Peter."  
  
There was a mad scramble outside the door involving a lot of pushing and shoving. The boys were all shocked to hear that they would never be returning to Neverland but were equally frightened over what Wendy might do to them if she found them out of bed and listening to her private conversation.  
  
Sprinting down the hall as fast as their small legs could carry them, each of the boys flung himself under the covers and began to snore loudly. Unfortunately for them, they had just made the hundred-yard dash for nothing. For Wendy was blocked before she could reach the door.  
  
Peter stood adamantly in front of the bedroom door, refusing to let Wendy to pass. "Peter," said Wendy warningly, "get out of my way."  
  
"No," he said defiantly. "Not until you agree to come back with me."  
  
"Peter I don't have time for your childish games now let me pass!"  
  
"No," Peter repeated bearing down on her. Wendy looked up to meet is gaze and jumped back. Peter's eyes were flashing dangerously at her and Wendy could see something was wrong. Peter's eyes had always been full of laughter and adventure, but the boy standing before her looked fearsome and unforgiving.  
  
"Peter..." said Wendy, backing away from him slowly. But Peter took three large strides towards her, backing her against the wall.

"I really am terribly sorry about this Wendy," he said. And with that he lent down, lifted her into his arms and flew out the open window.


	5. Chapter Four: The Search

Chapter Four –  
  
After ten minutes of pretending to be asleep, John was beginning to wonder what had happened to Wendy. Sitting up and replacing his glass on his nose, John strained his ears to try and hear what was going on down the hall. Alas, the only noise he could hear was the sound of six boys attempting to replicate the sounds of someone sleeping.  
  
Quietly getting out of bed, John made his way across the nursery floor. He was almost at the door, when he noticed that Michael was eying him rather suspiciously. "Wait here," John mouthed to his younger brother. If nothing was wrong and Wendy was still talking to Peter then John could just pretend that he needed to go to the bathroom, however if Michael was with him, they would definitely have a harder time explaining why they both needed to be out of bed for John use the bathroom.  
  
Creeping down the hallway, John was made sure he stayed close to the wall in order to prevent the wooden floorboards from creaking and unnecessarily giving him away. Even though the passageway was now dark, John knew where he was going. He had walked this path a great many times in the pitch black when he and Michael were sneaking sweets from the kitchen pantry while their parents were sleeping.  
  
John reached Wendy's bedroom door without so much as a whisper or a creaking floorboard, but when he reached the door, John could tell almost immediately that something was amiss. There were no signs of movement nor he could not hear anyone talking, sleeping or crying. _'Oh my god! She's killed him,'_ he thought wildly. Checking again to make sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him, John pressed his ear against the door and listened desperately for some sign of life. Almost positive that Wendy was no longer in the room, or at least no longer alive inside the room, John opened the door daringly and stepped inside.  
  
Although John was relieved that he did not find a corpse on the floor, the fact that Wendy and Peter had both disappeared and the curtains were flapping frantically in the breeze at the open window was not much of a comfort. If Wendy had indeed intended on leaving for Neverland, then why had she turned Peter down and yelled at him so much? _'Women,'_ though John gazing out the window into the night sky.  
  
Though it made perfect sense for Wendy to want to return to Neverland with Peter, but something about the whole situation didn't feel quite right to John. He knew his sister was completely smitten when it came to Peter Pan, but something about the conversation he had overheard earlier made John think that Wendy might not have gone back to Neverland entirely willingly.  
  
The more John thought about it, the more concerned he became for his sister's safety. The last time Peter had offered to take Wendy to Neverland, Wendy had asked if she could bring him and Michael along too. This time, Wendy had not even told them that she was leaving. And wouldn't Peter have wanted to take the lost boys back with him as well? Thought John, now even more convinced that Wendy had indeed been kidnapped. The only question now was, by whom?

* * *

High above the streets of London, Wendy Darling was clinging to Peter for dear life. Although she did not want to be there, Wendy much preferred being in the arms of Peter Pan, flying one-hundred-feet above the city than plummeting one-hundred-feet into the deserted streets rushing below her. Closing her eyes, Wendy's thoughts turned to her brothers. She wondered how they would react to her disappearing. Hoping they wouldn't be too distressed, Wendy let her head fall back on Peter's chest and listened to the soft beating of his heart.  
  
Cradling Wendy's trembling body in his arms, Peter felt a desperate desire to get to Neverland and explain his reckless, and what probably seemed unwarranted, actions. It was not the time or the place to get into the finer details of things and Peter could not afford to have Wendy getting hysterical mid-flight. Though he would have preferred Wendy to come with him voluntarily, if they hadn't left for Neverland when they did, they would never have made it back in time. Peter didn't visit London in the middle of the night for no reason. It was because the pathway back to the real world was only revealed in the moonlight and could only be accessed during the nighttime.  
  
Though Peter used the passage through the space-time-continuum quiet frequently, it was not originally his discovery. It was in fact his faithful fairy, Tinkerbell, who initially found the opening. Something that wasn't commonly known about Tinkerbell was that she had not always dwelt in Neverland. Years ago, before Peter had met her, Tinkerbell was exiled from Neverland by Galahad, the Lord of all Fairies. It was during this time that Tinkerbell had met Peter in Kensington Gardens, when he was just a small child.  
  
Even though Peter was only a baby at the time, Tinkerbell could see the potential he had to change things. So, in the dead of the night, Tinkerbell found the secret pathway and smuggled the young boy back into Neverland. She hid Peter in the dark and mysterious Neverland forest and over the years, Tinkerbell taught him how to fight, talk and fly.  
  
As he got older, Tinkerbell told Peter tale of how they first met and the way she had taken him to away live in Neverland. What she did not tell him was that when she brought him to Neverland, plans were made. Plans that very recently had been just that, plans. Now however, the plans had been set motion and chain of events had started, a chain that could no longer be broken.

* * *

Having woken the rest of his brothers, John was trying, as calmly as possible, to call order to the unruly bunch of boys who were all very distressed over their sister's disappearance. Getting rather frustrated, John decided it was time for someone to take charge.

"Quiet! Can everyone just shut up for a moment and let me think!" he shouted. Shouting was totally out of character for John; he was usually the logical one who could address everything rationally and with an unbiased opinion. This time however, someone had gone too far.  
  
"Right," he said after a few seconds of careful consideration. "This is what I want you all to do. Michael, you're to stay here and keep guard over the window. Whoever it was that took Wendy would have had to escape through the window or we would have heard them leaving. Tootles, I want you to search the house for any clues that might lead us to the person responsible for this. Curly, you and Nibbs are to look around outside for anything could help us find Wendy but I want you to stick together and keep your eyes open for anyone who appears suspicious. Now remember everyone, there is a kidnapper out there so I want you all to be very, very careful. Okay everyone, let's go."  
  
As the boys all moved off to their assigned posts, John noticed the two twins standing in the middle of the room looking fairly confused. "Umm... John," said one of the twins, "you haven't given us anything to do."  
  
"No, I haven't have I?" replied John smiling down at them. "That is because I need you two to help me find Peter Pan. He was the last person to see Wendy before she disappeared and I want to know what happened between the before she was abducted. Do you know where we could find him?"  
  
"In Neverland," they said simply.

"Yes," said John sounding exasperated, "but do you know how to get to Neverland?"  
  
"No... But we do know someone who does."


	6. Chapter Five: The Expedition

Chapter Five –  
  
Having stayed silent through Peter and Wendy's entire conversation, Tinkerbell was becoming rather concerned with the way Peter was holding Wendy so tenderly. They had reached Neverland just before the portal back had closed and were now making their way through the sky and down to the large tree in the centre of the forest where the home under the ground was situated.  
  
As she flew swiftly through the forest, Tinkerbell noticed that life was beginning to return to the limp, decaying foliage in the forest. This was a most peculiar occurrence in Neverland these days. Everything had been either dead or dying when she and Peter had left, so unless Peter's disposition had changed considerably since they departed for the real world, what Tinkerbell was seeing was quite literally impossible.  
  
Ever since Peter had first arrived in Neverland, it became apparent that his mood was clearly reflected in the climate and environment of the island and nearby waters. Whenever he was sad, angry, jealous or malicious, the entire island and ocean surrounding it would become harsh and desolate. However, when he was feeling pleasant emotions such as happiness, benevolence, contentment or love, the land would be healthy and fertile and the water would appear calm and peaceful.  
  
_'This was not how things were supposed to happen!'_ Thought Tinkerbell angrily. In order for her malevolent plot to work, Neverland needed to be free from all living beings. This meant Peter needed to be feeling some kind of dark resentment towards something... or someone. Wendy was not supposed to have come back to Neverland with them. Tinkerbell had put a lot of time and effort into making sure that everything was properly arranged. She had intended for Peter to go back to the Darling house and ask Wendy to come back with him, when she refused he was supposed go back to Neverland alone and be heartbroken, thus Neverland would become a deserted wasteland forever and Tinkerbell's wicked plot could continue as planed.  
  
Finally reaching the tree, Tinkerbell wondered if it was a good idea to let Peter get close to Wendy again. If things did not work out between them, as they hadn't done last time, then the end result would be too magnificent for her to even imagine. Peter would have his heart torn from his chest again, but this time there would be no recovery. On the other hand, if by some miracle Wendy forgave Peter and decided to stay in Neverland, the consequences could be dire.  
  
Peter landed lightly on the leaf-covered ground at the entrance of his home. Wendy had fallen asleep while they were flying over somewhere over Europe, and he did not want to wake her. Wendy looked so peaceful when she was sleeping. He had always liked to watch Wendy sleep. Every time he was at the window, Peter would wait until after Wendy had finished telling stories to the boys, Peter would stay at the window for hours just to watch her.  
  
After carrying her inside very carefully, Peter lay Wendy down gently on his bed and brushed the hair out of her face. "I didn't mean for thing to turn out like this," whispered Peter softly. He knew that Wendy couldn't hear him but he felt the words needed to be said, more for his sake than hers. Wendy needed to know that she had left him with no other option. He had to take her, something was wrong with Neverland. Something he couldn't explain...

* * *

The boys had completed their search of the house and had come up empty handed. John was becoming more and more troubled as each of his brothers came back with nothing. His only hope of finding his sister now lay with Peter Pan. The twins had informed him of where he could find the one person, other than Peter Pan himself, who could help them get back to Neverland. A plan was now formulating in John's mind, it was dangerous and if any of them were caught they would be in a lot of trouble. Despite all of that, John knew that it was the only lead he had on Wendy's whereabouts. If John wanted to find his sister, this was the only way.  
  
"Right lads," said John calling for the boys' attention. "This is what's going to happen: we're going to split into two groups. Curley, Nibbs and Michael are going to come with me, the rest of you stay here just in case Peter returns. If he does come back, do not let him leave under any circumstances. I need to talk to him."  
  
"Where are you lot going?" Tootles queried, rather disappointed that he was to be left behind.  
  
"Out," replied John simply. Then the commotion began:  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Out?"  
  
"Where?"  
  
"But what about..."  
  
"Mother and father will be home soon!"  
  
"Out?!"  
  
"Gentlemen please," said John raising his hands for silence. "There will be time for questions later. For now, we need to concentrate on finding our sister. You will all just have to trust me. Right, if Curley, Nibbs and Michael would be so kind as to follow me, we should push off."  
  
Still feeling rather confused, the three allocated boys followed John out of Wendy's bedroom and down the stairs into the small entrance hall at the front of the house. As he opened the front door, John felt the cool nights air breeze through the dimly lit passageway and tousle his usually straight hair. Gritting his teeth, John walked out the door and was immediately swallowed by the darkness that lay beyond.  
  
"John!" called Michael from behind him somewhere. "Where are we going?"  
  
"Not far," replied John. "If we hurry we might be able to get back home without mother and father even knowing we were gone."  
  
They walked briskly through the blackened streets of London, trying to stay out of view from the surrounding houses and their occupants. The last thing John needed was for one of the neighbours to spot them walking the streets in the dead of the night and informing their parents of the little outing. Their destination was only a few blocks away now and John could feel his heart beat quickening. What if the twins were wrong? What if Peter Pan was the only one who could travel freely in and out of Neverland? As he turned left at the intersection, John knew that his questions would be answered as soon as they reached the end of the street.  
  
"John..." said Michael sounding rather confused, "why are we going to see Aunt Millicent?" Though it was pitch black, Michael could easily recognise his aunt's street. The number of times their parents had dragged him, John and Wendy down the dreaded pathway made it impossible for Michael to forget it.  
  
"Well," John replied, "we need to talk to Peter, and the twins told me to come here to find out how to get back to Neverland."  
  
"Surely Aunt Millicent doesn't know how to get to Neverland," retorted Michael.  
  
"No, no, of course not," said John as he opened the creaking gate. "But you forget dear brother, we have a newly adopted cousin who just happens to be Peter Pan's ex-second-in-command man, or rather boy."


	7. Chapter Six: The Waking Memories

Chapter Six –  
  
Wendy was alone when she awoke from her deep slumber and was startled by what she saw. It wasn't long ago that she had left the home under the ground, but she had not expected to be looking around Peter Pan's infamous lair so soon. Sitting up, she tried to get her thoughts in order when it all came crashing back to her: the boys, the story, Peter, the disagreement of her return, and of course, her 'kidnapping'.  
  
Looking around what had once been a place full of happiness and joy, Wendy was shocked by the chaotic mess that lay at her feet. Nothing had been clean or tidied since she'd left. All the lost boys' belongings were strewn across the grimy floor, the beds were grubby and unmade, and the large oak table was covered with a foul smelling substance that appeared to be the remains of the last supper Wendy and the boys had eaten in Neverland.  
  
Though she spotted many things that disgusted her, Wendy could not see Peter anywhere. The last thing she remembered was Peter flying her high above the streets of London. She had been absolutely exhausted during the flight back and had concluded that the most likely scenario was that she had fallen asleep mid-flight and Peter and left her at his home and gone off somewhere. _'Most likely persuading some poor, naive child from their bed with promises of mermaids, pirates and Indians,'_ thought Wendy bitterly.  
  
She loved Peter dearly, but the thought had just recently occurred to Wendy that she might not have been the first girl he had taken to Neverland, and she was sure that she would not be the last. Peter had a certain boyish charm that many girls found incredibly appealing, and when he smiled he became irresistible. Wendy felt it would only a matter of time before he forget about her and found another to replace her.  
  
"Oh this is silly," Wendy scolded herself. "You're obsessing over a boy who kidnapped you and showed a blatant disregard for your feelings. Have some dignity girl! It's not healthy."  
  
Viewing her surroundings, Wendy tried to decide on the best way to escape from the large tree. She knew there were many secret entrances, though Peter had probably locked most of them before he left. If Peter had wanted to her stay here then it was very unlikely she would be leaving without his approval.  
  
After ten minutes of trying desperately to get out of her wooden prison, Wendy resigned to the fact that she was locked in until Peter returned and set her free. Sighing, she looked around for something to sit on that wasn't covered in muck. Eying the repulsive matter that had enveloped almost everything, Wendy decided that the safest thing to do would be to return to Peter's bed, as it appeared to be the only thing that the filth had not yet taken over.  
  
Lying back on the soft animal skins, Wendy's thoughts returned to her family. Last time she had gone to Neverland her parents had been traumatized and missed her terribly. Wendy had promised herself that she would never put them through that kind of agony again and that meant no more Neverland, no more flying and most of all, no more Peter Pan. But here she was, she had flown back to Neverland in the arms of Peter Pan, thus breaking all the rules she had laid down for herself; and although Peter had taken her without her consent, it had indeed been her will to return to Neverland. She was the one who gazed up at the stars every night, praying for him to come back for her. She had undeniably willed for this situation to manifest.

* * *

Slightly Darling awoke with a start at the sound of several loud thudding noises that appeared to have been made by a series small rock striking his bedroom window. Looking over at the large grandfather clock in the corner of the room that was barely visible in the faint nightlight, he saw it was almost twelve o'clock. _'What the devil could that be?'_ thought Slightly, rather annoyed to have been woken from his dreamy state of mind. Clambering out of bed, he walked over to the oversized window where the clatter seemed to be coming from. Opening the window as quietly as possible, Slightly peered out into the darkness of the night and received a rather forceful blowto the head from another large stone that had been hurled at his window.  
  
"Watch it!" Slightly yelled down at the offending rock-thrower who was cloaked in darkness. No reply came, but Slightly could make out the sound of muffled voices whispering below him.  
  
"You idiot!" came a boy's voice through the blackness.  
  
"What? It wasn't my fault!" argued a second boy.  
  
"You weren't supposed to hit him!"  
  
"I didn't hit him! His head got in the way of my rock."  
  
"Don't make excuses, your aim is terrible!"  
  
"He's right you know," a third boy chimed in. "When we get back remind me to give you a crash course in the are of rock throwing."  
  
"I'd like to see either of you two do better."  
  
"Oh please, I could do it with my eyes closed."  
  
"All of you shut up! Do you want to wake the entire neighbourhood?" hissed another voice with obvious authority over the rest.  
  
"Hello?" called Slightly into the night. "Who's there?"  
  
"Slightly? Oh good we found the right window. I knew we'd get it eventually." Called back the boy who had thrown the rock. "It's us, John, Michael, Curley and Nibbs. We need your help with something..."

* * *

Sitting in the moonlight on the bank of his favourite river in Neverland, Peter let his feet dangle aimlessly in the cool water and became completely lost in thought. Thoughts of Wendy, the lost boys, and all the other children who had come and gone over the years he had lived in Neverland. Wendy, John and Michael were not the first children he had brought back with him to Neverland, and the group of lost boys that had gone back with them to the real world were not Peter's first army of boys either.  
  
Over the years he had collected and given up hundreds of children, each of them eventually returning to their families in the real world. Every so often, Peter would go to their homes and watch through windows as others grew up, started families, and finally, they would wither away and die. While he on the other hand, would remain a boy forever.  
  
The loss of followers was nothing new to him. After his first group of boys had left him, Peter had come to understand that not everyone wanted to stay a child forever, even if he couldn't quiet fathom it himself. Neverland was filled with everything a boy could ever want, pirates, mermaids, Indians, fairies, sword fights, flying, but every boy Peter had ever brought back had now left.  
  
He'd always brought boys back with him to Neverland, never girls. Peter didn't believe that girls 'have what it takes' to survive in Neverland. That, of course, was until he met Wendy and everything changed. Wendy stirred something inside him that he had never felt before and could not explain. It was a delicious tease to stand next to her, his fingertips itching with desire to feel the smooth texture of her skin running beneath them. Merely being in her presence made him feel happier, something that was very rare for him these days.  
  
Having been depressed for so long, Peter had almost forgotten what happiness felt like. The only happy thought he could use to fly anymore was: at least Wendy's happy, but even that was starting to wear thin. Giving up the one thing that means more to you than anything else in the entire world is never an easy thing to do.  
  
_'You could have gone back with her,'_ said a small voice in his head.  
  
_'But what about what Tink told you?'_ queried another voice. _'You couldn't have gone with Wendy. Without you there is not Neverland'_  
  
"This is stupid," said Peter angrily. "I'm having an argument with my self over a girl! She should have been begging me to bring her back, not the other way round. Right, Tink?... Tink?"  
  
Peter looked around for his fairy friend, but she was nowhere to be seen. In fact, now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen Tink since they had returned to Neverland; and that had been over an hour ago. He had been so preoccupied with Wendy that he had completely forgotten about Tink.  
  
_'No wonder she doesn't like Wendy,'_ thought Peter irritably. _'I'm forever ignoring her whenever Wendy's around.'_  
  
"Speaking of," he said getting up. "I think it's time for me to go back and explain everything to her, the truth this time. Then I'll find Tink," he added with some after thought.

A/N: Hey all, thanx for reviewing and everything. I'm back at school now so I won't have as much time to write but I promise I'll update whenever I can. And yes I do realise that Peter's gone slightly Schizophrenic this chapter and he was slightly perverted in the last chapter with the whole watching Wendy while she slept but I promise, it's all relevant for later. Anyway, I've got to go but and if you have any suggestions for me then you can always e-mail me

Toodles kids


	8. Chapter Seven: The Plan

Chapter Seven –  
  
Slightly fell back onto his bed, shocked by what he had just heard. John had just given him an update of the current situation and if he understood correctly, it seemed that Wendy had been kidnapped, Peter was the last one to see her, and John wanted him take them to Neverland and question Peter about the night's events. Though technically he wasn't Wendy's brother like the other boys, Slightly had always been rather fond of her as she was the first mother he had ever known or could remember, and he was more than willing to help get her back, but there was no way he could do what John was asking of him.  
  
"Look, I'd really love to help you all but I'm afraid what you're asking is impossible," said Slightly, rasing himself from the bed.  
  
"Are you saying that you don't know how to get back to Neverland?" Queried John, rather confused. The twins had told him that Slightly was the only one who knew how to get back, other than Peter that is. If Slightly couldn't help them, there would be no way for he to talk to Peter.  
  
"No, what I said is you are asking for the impossible. I know how to get back, but the only way to get to Neverland is to fly, and the only way you can fly is with fairy dust, and I'm afraid I'm all out."  
  
"But there has to be another way," said Curley, afraid that he had lost his sister forever.  
  
"I don't think you understand!" roared John, grabbing the front of Slightly's pyjamas and shoving him backwards against the bedroom wall. Applying pressure to his chest to make sure Slightly couldn't move, John continued is rant: "My sister has been kidnapped and you're telling me there's nothing we can do about it! For all we know she could be lying bloodied in a ditch, or being tortured by pirates, or... well God knows what else. If you don't tell me what I want to know, then whatever happens to her, I shall personally make you endure it threefold."  
  
"John, calm down," squeaked Michael. He had never seen his brother lose his temper at anyone, but John seemed to have something else driving him tonight. He had yelled earlier that night at his brothers, he had then impulsively walked out into the black night to visit their cousin, whom he was now threatening. Not what you'd call typical-John-behaviour.  
  
"Michael, stay out of this," bellowed John, directing his anger at his youngest brother.  
  
"But he said he can't help us," argued Michael.  
  
"Do you want to get Wendy back?" retorted John, applying additional pressure to Slightly's chest, making it hard for him to breath.  
  
"We don't even know if Peter can help us!" yelled Michael. He was feeling rather annoying with the way his older brother had been behaving and had decided that he had had enough. "We have all followed your instructions down to the letter, and we have completed all our task without complaint or objection. We even followed you blindly into the night without question, we walked half way across town in subzero temperatures with nothing but your word that it was the only way to get our sister back. Now, we have interrogated Slightly in regards to finding and talking to Peter, but our efforts have proved fruitless. There is nothing more we can do here tonight. I think it's time to go to Plan B."  
  
"Here, here!" chorused the three other boys in accord, Slightly's cheer being somewhat hoarser than the rest.  
  
John was shocked. Michael had never shown any kind of leadership ability, yet he had now convinced all the others that John own style of leadership was proving damn near useless in regards to finding their sister and getting her back unharmed. He had somehow led them all to believe that he was a better authoritarian than John!  
  
_'Inconceivable!'_ thought John, now angered by his brother's insolence. _'Michael doesn't have the level headedness it takes to be in a commanding position.'  
_  
Feeling slightly put out, John resolved that it was time for him to reclaim control of this little party. "Well," he said to Michael, "do you have a 'plan B' as you have so wittingly dubbed it? Because after this I'm all out of ideas. But if you know a better way to find out what happened to Wendy, then please, do share it."  
  
Michael glared at his older brother clearly seeing that he was trying to make him sound like a blithering idiot. John knew that they had no other leads on Wendy's whereabouts, but to make Michael admit that he didn't know how to get her back would be sure to make the other think John was better man for leading them to their lost sister.  
  
"John, I'm not going to argue with you over leadership of this search, but you are being completely unreasonable --"  
  
"I'm being unreasonable?!" John yelled angrily. He was now looking more furious than Michael or his brothers had ever seen him. "I'm not the one who has told us: 'yes there is a way to get your sister back, but no I won't help you do it'. I bet he helped Pan kidnap her!"  
  
"Peter wouldn't kidnap Wendy!" said Nibbs, finally speaking up. He hadn't spoken the whole way through this conversation, but he was not about to sit by and let John insult the boy who taught him how to fight and helped him survive for all those years he'd spent in Neverland.  
  
"Why not?" snapped John. "He's done it before."  
  
"He has never taken any child involuntarily," wheezed Slightly, still unable to breath properly with John weight on his chest, crushing is lungs.  
  
"How would you know?" John barked. _'This situation is spinning out of control,'_ he thought to himself. _'This is not the way things were supposed to happen!'  
_  
"Well, I can't account for all the time he's spent in Neverland... but I can tell you that while we were living there, no one was ever made to come or stay with him against their will."  
  
"Look," said Curley, having had just about enough of the others' squabbling. "We're wasting time by arguing about this. Slightly says that he knows how to get to Neverland if fly, so all we need to do is figure out another way to fly."  
  
John was about to argue with this theory and say there was no other way to fly, but a flicker of light near the windowsill distracted him. Letting go of Slightly, John did a double take to make sure he mind wasn't playing tricks on him, but it appeared his prayers had been answered.  
  
"Right," John said, directing his attention back to his brothers and cousin. "Well, you all get to work on that and I'll... ummm... well I'll watch the skies to make sure Peter isn't going on a joy fly. Wouldn't want to miss him, hey? Just in case, you know?"  
  
Michael watched his brother suspiciously as John walked over to Slightly's window and looked up into the night's sky. _'What could have made him change his mind about this so quickly?'_ Michael wondered, not fully convinced that John would have backed down from an argument so easily.  
  
"Earth to Michael. Come in Michael," said Slightly, interrupting his chain of thought by waving an annoying hand in front of his eyes.  
  
"Sorry, what?" responded Michael, snapping out of his hazy state of mind.  
  
"Can we stop daydreaming and get to work?"  
  
"Oh... yeah, sure... work..."  
  
"Don't worry about him," said Curly, making himself comfortable on the floor. "He'll be spurting incoherent babble for the next half hour or so. Come on, we need to get to started."  
  
Looking over his shoulder to make sure none of the other boys were watching him, John turned to the source of the small glowing light and sighed with relief.  
  
"Thank god you're here," he whispered quietly, as he did not want the other's to be aware of the new being's presence. "There are a few things we need to sort out, such as my sister's kidnapping. That was never part of the plan. You were supposed to bring Peter to the house, and he was supposed to leave heartbroken. You never said anything about Wendy being kidnapped!"  
  
"An unavoidable mishap," replied the new comer. "But things have changed, and we must adapt to change. I've put to much time and effort into this to see I all collapse because a silly little girl who is ruled by her emotions. This is what you must do: tell the boys that Peter has indeed kidnapped Wendy and that you know how you can get to Neverland --"  
  
"But Tink, I don't know how to get to Neverland." John cut in, pointing out an obvious flaw in her plan.  
  
"Of course you don't, idiot, but I do. Then, inform them that I've come back to help get you to Neverland. You will then 'rescue' your sister from Peter's hideout and return home. I don't need to remind you that both our futures rely on this working, John... or should I call you Captain?"

A/N: howdy all, sorry it took me so long to write this chapter, I've been sick and the computer's been sick so even though I wrote it a few days ago i haven't been able to post it... stupid technology. And I know it's probably not overly exciting with no Peter or Wendy action happening or anything, but I promise, everything with the boys relevent. If you haven't noticed, some of them have gone slightly evil, though irronically not Slightly :) Ok that was lame but not the point.Oh, and for all you Peter/Wendy fans out there, there is not need to fret, the whole next chapter is devoted to them so don't worry, it's all good. Anyways, I should be going but keep those review coming and I'll have the next chapter written ASAP,

Bye!


	9. Chapter Eight: The Confessions

Chapter Eight –

"You see Wendy... No.... Isn't it funny? One day you're... No, that's not right either..."

Peter had been pacing at the secret entrance to his home under the ground muttering to himself like this for the past ten minutes, debating what his next move was to be. He knew that he had to tell Wendy what was really happening, but he couldn't seem to find the right words to justify his rash actions.

"The thing is... I love you more than anything else in the world and if I could I would give up my eternal childhood, Neverland and everything in for you..." pausing, he sighed added, "Now all I have to do is say it to her face."

'_Sure,'_ came a sarcastic voice from the deep recesses of his mind, _'Indians and pirates you can handle, but an adolescent girl... now that's a challenge!'_

"Shut up," muttered Peter knowing that what the voice said was true. He could never muster the courage to tell Wendy how he really felt. He had too much to lose.

Turning around to open the door, Peter pulled on a large vine and revealed one of the many hidden entrances to his hideout. Swallowing the dread that was welling in his throat, Peter walked into the foreboding darkness to face his biggest fear.

His mind was so preoccupied with thoughts of Wendy that Peter completely forgot there was a sudden drop almost immediately after one walked through this particular entrance. Feeling the ground fall away beneath him, Peter tumbled noisily down the rocky slope and rolled onto his filth-covered floor before crashing onto the large oak table in the middle of the room. The loud clatter stirred Wendy from her dreamy state of mind and made her sit up so quickly that she forgot how low the ceiling was, thus resulting in her receiving a rather forceful blow to the head.

Rubbing her head, Wendy slid of Peter's bed and looked around for the source of the noise. It took her all of three seconds to spot Peter at the other end of the room, attempting to untangle himself from the fallen chairs.

'_The great Peter Pan meets his downfall at a table and a couple of chairs,'_ she thought, giggling to herself before walking over to him.

Stopping before she reached Peter, Wendy leant back against the wall to examine the boy who had taken her from her home in the dead of the night and couldn't help smiling. "Oh... the cleverness of you," she said while doing her best not to burst into laughter. "An exceptionally graceful entrance if I do say so myself."

Peter grimaced at the sound of her voice. He had desperately hoped that Wendy wouldn't see him sprawled on the ground entangled in several chairs and muck. Pushing the remaining chairs off him, Peter got to his feet quickly and placed his hands on his hips.

"You obviously haven't changed a bit," Wendy said, giggling again while giving him a once over, noting the dirt that had attached itself to his body and stuck to his hair as a result from his fall. She probably would have been angry if he hadn't looked so adorable.

"Are you hurt?" she asked pushing off the wall and stepping forward.

"With the exception of my ego everything seems to be intact," he replied, ruffling his blonde hair in an attempt to dislodge some of the dirt. Wendy giggled again. _'Well, someone's certainly in a better mood,' _thought Peter smiling. Maybe Wendy had indeed forgiven him.

It seemed that Peter hadn't noticed that his face and body were also covered with dirt, not just is hair. "Here," said Wendy pulling a handkerchief out of her pocket. "Let me help you."

Sceptical as to how a piece of material was supposed to help get the dirt off him, Peter stopped rumpling his hair and gave Wendy leave to try her way. She smiled at him and wet the tip of the handkerchief with her tongue before closing the distance between them.

As Wendy reached up to rub some of the dirt off his face Peter felt his body go rigid. Wendy was so close to him that he could almost taste her breath. Her left hand felt warm and supple on his right cheek while her right hand was gently caressing his left cheek under soft material that encased her small fingers. The very essence of her being made his entire body tingle with delight. A feeling of bliss washed over him and Peter wanted nothing less than to stay there for eternity. He lowered his gaze to meet Wendy's and was surprised to see that she looked just as intense as he felt.

They were both completely lost in moment though through his delirious mental state, Peter managed to remember why he had brought Wendy back to Neverland. _'I have to tell her,'_ thought Peter. Calling forth every ounce willpower he possessed, he was only just able to force his arm to grab Wendy's hand and break her touch.

"Wendy," said Peter softly, letting go of her arm and making a mental note to shoot himself later from ruining the moment, "there's something I have to tell you."

"Oh, yes?" said Wendy raising an inquisitive eyebrow at him, "and what might that be?"

Before Peter could reply, Wendy had slid her arms around his neck and playfully pulled him in close to her. There was only one thing on her mind and it wasn't conversation. She'd had an ample amount of time to decide what she was going to do when Peter got back and listening to his reason for bringing her back was only second on the list.

Peter's hands lay softly on her hips and his body was pressed close to so close to hers that she could feel every muscle, every crevice, every laboured breath that escaped his lungs. Closing her eyes, Wendy drew his mouth down to meet hers. Their lips were barely an inch apart when Peter's hand moved swiftly from her hip to her right cheek, holding her at bay.

"Wendy, I really do need to tell you this, it's incredibly important."

Wendy opened her eyes and stared at him in with a mix of rejection and disbelief. They were still only inches away from each other and even though knew he'd regret it later, Peter backed away from her and continued with his request for Wendy to hear him out.

"There something you need to know... it concerns your brothers," said Peter.

"M-my brothers?" said Wendy sounding confused and hurt. "You choose _now_ to bring up my brothers!"

"Wendy, you're not listening. Something has just come to our attention that involves your brother, John--"

"_Our_ attention? Who else is involved here?"

"Galahad," replied Peter waving her query aside, "that's not what's important. What's important is that your brother, John, is Hook!"

An abrupt and unnatural silence fell over the room and Peter's final words hung in the air. It took a full minute for Wendy to regain the use of her vocal cords, and even longer for her to get her thoughts in order.

"Th-that's not possible," stammered Wendy. "John's too young to be Hook... Hook's name was James... and-and we just killed Hook! Besides the fact that it's literally not possible!"

"Have you learnt nothing of Neverland?" Peter questioned her. "Time passes differently here. In Neverland, it is very possible for John to become Hook. We originally thought that it was your father who was destined to be Hook, but we were wrong. That's why I let you go back last time. We realised that if your father was not to become Hook, then you would not be in any danger if you returned home. We never even considered that John could be a threat to your safety. He has already begun his journey along that path and in twenty years time he will re-emerge as Captain James Hook. A chain of events has started, a chain we can no longer break."

"But if John isn't going to become Hook for another twenty years then how could we have fought and defeated him a month ago? It doesn't make sense Peter!" Retorted Wendy, now being annoyed at his insolent stupidity. The scenario he was describing was illogical, not to mention impossible.

"It makes perfect sense," replied Peter calmly. "All someone would have to do is find the gap in the space-time-continuum that connects with the point in time where James Hook arrived in Neverland."

"Okay," said Wendy still sounding sceptical, "let's pretend I do believe all this rubbish about John being Hook, why did you need to put so much effort into keeping me away from the person, who you say, will eventually become Hook?"

"Because," Peter said slowly, looking into her deep blue eyes, "I am not the one who must face Hook in the Final Battle. My role in this is just to prepare you for you're encounter with Hook. I'm to teach you to how to fly with speed and agility, and the proper technique to wielding a sword."

"But Hook is dead!" said Wendy exasperatedly. "I saw the croc swallow him with my own tow eyes Peter. How am I supposed to fight him if he's dead?"

"He's not dead! I don't have time to explain it to you right now. Look, you had no problem believing me when I told you that fairy dust and happy thoughts could make you fly, which, to a normal person, would sound absolutely absurd."

"Are you saying I'm not a normal person?!"

"No! I... I'm just saying that I need you to trust me on this one."

Wendy looked into Peter's pleading eyes and caved within four seconds. "Okay," she sighed, still not sounding as though she believed a word he had said. "But I want to talk to this 'Galahad' first. I want to know where he gets all this information."

"But he's the Lord of all Fairies--"

"Well, we all know how well I get along with fairies. This should be fun," said Wendy grimacing.

"We don't have time to--"

"Oh yes we do," retorted Wendy scowling at him.

"Fine," replied Peter returning the gesture.

"Fine," muttered Wendy turning her back to him and walking towards the door.

"Fine."

A/N: Hi all, sorry it's taken me so long to get this chapter done, I had writter's block! mutters 'bastardly writter's block' Anyway, thanx for reviewing, I feel so loved :D. Also, I've decided that I should name the chapters, but I'm terrible at coming up with decent chapter titles. If you have anythoughts send me a review with the title you think would suit the chapter and... well the chapter number. I don't really like the end of this chapter but it was the best I could come up with at 11 o'clock last night. I may change it later but I'm not sure what to quite yet. Again feedback would be good. Anyway, I must go but I'll try to get the next chapter written ASAP

Toodles kids!


	10. Chapter Nine: The Discovery

Chapter Nine –

Still annoyed at himself for yielding to Wendy so easily, Peter clambered out of the large, oversized tree that concealed is hideout from prying eyes. Brushing more of the dirt from his person, he looked around to make sure the coast was clear before turning back to find Wendy climbing the steep slope that led to the exit of his hideout. He stooped down and offered her a hand in assistance, which she blatantly refused to accept, preferring to struggle up the precipitous incline on her lonesome. Sighing, Peter resigned himself to the fact that Wendy was going to keep up her frosty demeanour until she acquired the information she wished to obtain.

When she finally reached the top, Wendy ignored Peter completely and stalked past Peter over towards a rather large wooden stump. Delicately taking a seat on the stump, Wendy surveyed her surrounding and inhaled deeply. The forest was in full bloom and Wendy found herself surrounded by a stunning array of flora, and the clean, fresh air of Neverland was ecstasy to her lungs compared to the smoke-filled atmosphere of inner London.

"We should... umm, we should probably get going," said Peter, snapping Wendy out of the trance she had drifted into.

"Excellent," Wendy replied coldly, rising from her recline and turning to face him. "The sooner we get this mess worked out, the sooner you can stop accusing my brother of being a murderous, bloodthirsty pirate."

"No, the sooner we can get you to accept the truth, the sooner we can begin your training to kill a murderous, bloodthirsty pirate!" riposted Peter.

Wendy just glared at him. _'How can he really think that John is capable of slaughtering hundreds of people in cold blood?'_ she thought furiously.

"Look," said Peter calming down slightly, "bickering isn't going to get us anywhere. Let's just go, you can hear what Galahad has to say, then you can decide whether to believe me or not. But please, keep and open mind to what he has to say. It may be difficult at first for you to accept, but eventually you will need to come to terms with the fact that your brother is going to become Captain James Hook."

"Stop saying that!" yelled Wendy. "My brother is not Hook! You are indubitably misinformed."

Peter sighed again. _'So much for not bickering,'_ he thought pessimistically.

"Come on, we should go," said Peter.

"Good, let's go then."

Peter bent down to lift Wendy into his arms; however, he was rather surprised when she jumped back from him.

"What exactly do you think you are doing?" Wendy inquired petulantly.

"Well... umm... see... umm... in order to get there, we need to fly," said Peter, rather confused by her objection.

"Is there any reason why I can't fly there myself?" retorted Wendy, insubordinately placing her hands on her hips.

"Well, yes... umm... there is," replied Peter, a smile threatening to invade his lips. "As it happens, you have a severe lack of fairy dust. This does make it difficult for you to get off the ground without plummeting back down a few seconds later."

"Oh," exclaimed Wendy softly, looking at the ground in an attempt to hide the red tinge that was beginning to appear in her cheeks. Peter laughed; he loved getting one up on Wendy. _'Honestly,'_ he thought, _'flying without fairy dust, it's lunacy.'_

"Actually," said Peter suddenly remembering something important he'd forgotten to tell Wendy. "There is something I need to tell you before we leave. Galahad's lair is guarded--"

"Lair?" interrupted Wendy, desperately trying to suppress her laughter. "He has a lair."

"Hideout, home, palace, call it what you will, it's a minor detail and doesn't matter so let's move on. A terrifyingly horrific beast guards Galahad's liar. The malignant creature is feared more than any other in known species in Neverland, so watch your step, and for goodness sake, stay near me unless you wish to be ripped limb from limb by sharp pointy fangs!"

It may have been her imagination playing tricks on her, but Wendy could have sworn that Peter's voice growing louder and more Scottish as he reached the climax of his speech, he even used hand gestures to imitate the motion sharp pointy fangs had when they ripped you limb from limb.

"What an excentric performance," she muttered, wondering if the boy who refused to grow up had finally lost his marbles.

* * *

John had spent a good part of the last hour explaining Wendy's supposed predicament to the other boys. Then, just as he had been told to, John explained how Tinkerbell had come to escort them back to Neverland. The ex-lost boys among the group were shocked to hear that their mentor had kidnapped their sister and were all eager to get to Neverland and rescue her. Though one of them saw a flaw in John's proposed course of action --

"Excuse me gentlemen, but I'm afraid that there is a small problem with this plan."

"What is it now Slightly?" Asked John irritably.

"Well, since you asked... As it happens, Neverland can only be accessed from this world at nighttime. This particular rip in the fabric of the space-time continuum only appears in the dead of the night and can only be found by those who already know where it is."

"This particular rip?" queried John, intrigued by where this conversation was headed.

"Well, yes." Replied Slightly, lapping up the attention everyone was paying him. "There are many more gaps that lead to different places throughout time and space. People stumble across them regularly." Slightly looked around at the other boys who all appeared to be lost, though John seemed to be following and nodded at him to continue with his explanation.

"Well the most well known rip would probably be the Bermuda Triangle. There have been many known cases of ships passing through there and never make it out the other side. They just disappear and are never seen again."

"Are you saying that the Bermuda Triangle is another entrance to Neverland?" Asked John, trying to keep his excitement from reaching his voice.

"It's the only other one I know of," replied Slightly. "And it's rumoured that the Bermuda Triangle is how the pirates initially arrived in Neverland! The only problem was, that the Bermuda Triangle is a one way point, you can only enter Neverland, you cannot leave."

"What about the 'it can only be found by those who already know where it is' part?" Inquired John.

"Well all you know that the rip is the second star to the right, but to the right of what?" said Slightly cleverly answering John question with a question.

"Oh, right, of course," said John clearing his throat in an attempt to sound indifferent to the valuable information Slightly had unwittingly just handed over to him. If he wasn't very much mistaken, Slightly had just told him how to enter Neverland in twenty-years-time when he reintroduced himself to the world ask Captain James Hook.

"Thank you for that delightful tale, Slightly, but we're hardly going to travel to the Bermuda Triangle. We shall wait until dusk. Then, with the help of a certain fairy guide and her dust, we will be well on our way to rescuing our sister, and cousin, from the clutches of Peter Pan."

A/N: OK, what do we all think? I know nothing much happened but I had to get the whole thing about the space-time continuum in there and I also had to put Monty Python quote in. Just incase you guys haven't seen it, in which case I'm very disappointed in you, the Monty Python quote in there was the 'sharp pointy fangs' from Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Also, I need to put a disclaimer on the 'it can only be found by those who already know where it is.' It's not mine, that's Jack Sparrow all the way, oh the brilliance of Jack. I'm sorry a lot of you didn't understand what I was going on about before with the whole John being Hook, but I will go into it in more detail when Peter and Wendy meet Galahad. Now, replies to reviews: bigreader, I'm sorry I couldn't let them kiss, but it would have destroyed my story plan... plus I like tormenting you all -insert evil laughter here-.Draechaeli, it seems I've stuffed up. I didn't make it clear that he wasn't supposed to tell Wendy that he loved her, that what he was thinking. I'll go back and remedy it later. Dreamless-mermaid, yes you're right! Well done! I think 2 billion points are in order! I'm sorry you're confused as well but I going to fix that, I promise. Zeldy, thanks for the encouragement, I do try. TigerLily130, yeah I know he isn't making sense, again I'm going to try to fix it. kasmira36, sorry I kept you waiting so long and it seems I've done it again. As for the connection to the other chapter, I promise I will make sense of it all soon. Alison! Yes, you found it! Congrats! Did you love the movie? can you now see my obsession with it? Don't worry, I won't yell at you :). Right, I think that's about it. Wow, look at my AN. Ok, I'm leaving now, hope you enjoyed the chapter,

Toodles kids!


	11. Chapter Ten: The Beast

Chapter Ten –

Peter had flown half way across Neverland and was now encircling a part of the forest Wendy had never seen before. Although it was similar to Peter's home, the forest was less dense here and the plants appeared to be of a more exotic nature. There were also the remains of what appeared to be an ancient temple of sorts.

'_Why would the Lord of all Fairies live in ruins?_' Wendy pondered to herself. She would have thought that if he ruled over some of the most magical creatures that he would have a grand palace or something along those lines.

"Right," said Peter interrupting her train of thought. "There's no sign of Galahad's beastly pet, so I'm going to take us down. If you see any kind of sudden movement get as low to the ground as you can. I don't need to remind you of what this beast can do to you, do I?"

"No, I think your demonstration of 'sharp point fangs' was sufficient, thank you," replied Wendy trying not to laugh at the memory.

Peter merely rolled his eyes at Wendy's amusement and swooped down on the old ruins at a startling speed. Landing with a thump of the hard stone, Peter looked around his familiar surroundings, admiring its magnificence.

"This is Faylinn. It was once the stronghold of the Kings of Neverland," Peter informed Wendy, taking her hand and moving swiftly yet silently up the stone steps.

Wendy followed him inside the ancient stone structure and gasped. The roof, if there ever was one, was long gone; she could see straight up into the green canopy of the forest. The stone floor, like everything else, was slowing being engulfed by vines. Ancient carving adorned the walls and at the far end of the vast hall, stood a lone stone alter that had been completely cleared of any foliage that may have attempted to over take it.

"Beautiful isn't it," continued Peter, smiling at Wendy's awestruck expression. "King Adair, the fifth king of Neverland, erected it. Unfortunately, the Royal Family has long since died out, they were before even my time. The last king, ­­­Alaric son of Edric, died before he could conceive a male heir. He left everything to his fairies, for he felt for akin to them than he did his own folk. Iorwen, the wife of the King and Queen via marriage, was angered by her husband's expected departure, as their marriage was only deemed legal with the birth of a male heir. Thus, Iorwen was entitled to nothing. She lost her home, power and title of Queen when Alaric died and left her with nothing."

"Enraged, Iorwen decided that if she could not rule then no one would. She gathered all the men still loyal to her and launched an attack on the fairies, the likes of which Neverland had never seen. She destroyed Faylinn She brutally tortured and murdered all who opposed her and showed no mercy to those associated with fairy kind."

"The Fairy Queen of the time, Cwen, and her armies became overwhelmed with the battalions of men Iorwen was sending forth in an attempt to rid Neverland of her kind; and when fairy extinction seemed immanent, she withdrew underground of the once brilliant, Faylinn, along with what remained of her once glorified race."

"For many years all fairy life remained underground, to afraid to venture out to the surface. Though they possessed powers of immeasurable capacity, fairies were, or rather still are, the guardians of Neverland. They are charged with the task of protecting all Neverland's inhabitants and keeping the balance between good and evil. Iorwen wasn't threatening the existence of man or beast, only fairy; thus Cwen was unable to put an end to her tyranny on fairy kind. Fairies are unable to directly end human life, though they are capable of acting through others to carry out evil deeds if they so desire."

"Peter," Wendy interrupted loudly, "how does this have any relevance to anything?"

"I just thought you might want to know the history behind Faylinn," said Peter purposefully not looking at her. "It may be useful to you later, and keep your voice down. I want our presence to go as unnoticed here as possible. The last thing we need is a surprise attack from Galahad's beast."

On cue, a loud screech was heard from the skies above, followed by the sound of wings like that of an eagle swooping on it's pray, only this was much louder. Wendy looked up to behold a huge creature descending on Faylinn. Though Wendy couldn't get a proper look at the beast, she was sure that the creature she was observing was a legendary and mythical griffin. Its head, chest and wings were feathered and it displayed the forelegs and talons of an eagle, yet it had the hindquarters of a lion.

"RUN!" yelled Peter, breaking Wendy from her daze and spurring her into a run. "Don't look back! We have to get to the alter!"

Wendy sprinted down the long hallway as fast as her legs could carry her. The alter was only thirty yards away and closing. She could hear Peter's heavy footfall behind her, pounding on the hard stone floor.

Ten yards to the alter. The griffin had spotted them was also closing in. It was just a matter of who reached what first.

She was only five yards away when Peter flew past her and landed on the alter. He turned around and grabbed Wendy around her waist, hauling her up onto the alter with him. The griffin had crashed through the canopy landed at the other end of Faylinn. It waited a few seconds before charging full speed at them. "Galahad!" Peter cried out desperately. "It is I, Peter Pan, and I request that thee shows thyself!"

Wendy clung fearfully to Peter and waited for something to happen. The griffin was seconds away from them so in a last attempt to salvage their lives Peter added, "I have Wendy Darling in my care!"

Immediately, the stone below their feet began to glow and a blue light engulfed them both. The griffin reared on its hind legs and came to an abrupt stop. It turned to shield it's eyes from the incandescent light that as being emitted from the two figures standing alone on the alter and with a final screech, the beast took flight through the thick leaves that made up the roof.

Even though the griffin had left, the blue light did not subside. On the contrary, it grew more intense until both Wendy and Peter were forced to screen their eyes from it to prevent themselves from going blind.

"Peter," said Wendy sounding rather anxious. "Has this ever happened before?"

"No," replied Peter, he was as mesmerized by the phenomenon as she was. "Never."

Peter pulled Wendy in close to him, afraid that she would become lost in the haze.

'_That'd be right,'_ thought Wendy. She looked around but the light was so overwhelming that she could no longer see the ruins or the trees.

Then, all of a sudden a loud crack came from nowhere and the two figures who had been standing on the alter along with the bright light disappeared. Everything returned to normal and the only sounds that could be heard was the rustling of the leaves and the singing of the songbirds high in the trees.

AN: Ah ha! I've done it! I finished chapter 10! You should all be very proud of me. I've been writting and rewritting this chapter over and over again. It's taken me forever to get right. Still, it's probably going to be confusing. Ah well, not the end of the world. The next chapter is where we meet Galahad and all is explained. But I won't go on about that, I wouldn't want to give away the story line :D. Ok, moving on to answers to reviews: Draechaeli, I'm sorry you didn't get to Neverland... but it's the idea of it just cool! My cousin gave me that one... ah it's brilliant. Dreamless mermaid, Jack Sparrow indeed! I love Jack! I'll have to work out a way to put some more of Jack's quotes in the next chapter. As for the cliffhangers... I can't help it I love cliffhangers, and I've done it again mwhahahahahaha. Zeldy, yes Slightly is rather confusing isn't he mutters 'strange little boy' but it's just all the stuff about how their going to get to Neverland so it's not that interesting anyway. kasmira36, thanks for the encouragement mate. I'm sorry it keeps taking me so long to update but I've got exams at the moment so it's making it hard for me to find any time to write :(. kitkat47, I'm glad you're enjoying my story and it should start to have some real action kind of stuff in it soon. bigreader, I'm nothing like hook! I just enjoy tormenting people, you should try it some time... you might learn to like it. Ooies, yeah I know. But you're going to have to except that John doomed for evil-ness. I'm glad you're amused my Peter and Wendy, they amuse me too :). LiRA, again, I'm sorry I keep you waiting so long but I haven't really had any time to write. blondie3862, I know, I know. Wendy and Peter are being annoying but if I let everything happen to quickly then it'll ruin my master plan, and we can't have that now can we? Alison, sharp point fangs indeed. But you can't deny that it, Monty Python are just hilarious! And what's wrong with having Jack in you're head, he's so very amusing. Liana2, thanks mate. I fully agree with the Wendy being older thing. How can she go off with Peter when he's like 4 years younger than her? It doesn't work! I'm glad you enjoy my bio, if you can't tell I'm pretty big on the quoting thing :P. Zorrina, wicked cool indeed. I'm glad you're enjoying it. And last but not least babs08, thanks. I don't think anyone has every called my story awesome... that's so cool! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. I'll get the next one up ASAP, but I guess with me you can never tell when that's going to be.

Toodles kids!


	12. Chapter Eleven: The Messenger

Chapter 11 –

When the hazy light had cleared around them, Wendy blinked a few times to regain her vision after being temporarily blinded by the incandescent glow that had just dispersed. Looking around, she noticed there were a few key differences, the first and most obvious being that they were no longer surrounded by ruins or trees, but standing in enormous circular stone hall facing a huge mahogany door.

Not relinquishing her grasp of Peter waist, Wendy eyed her surrounding cautiously. Though Neverland had many things that were strange and unusual, Peter was used to most of the knew who and what to associate with or avoid. But Peter had never been here, and more to the point, he didn't know who had transported them to the foreign vestibule.

"Wendy…?" Peter whispered. It was only then that she realised how close they were. Her arms were wrapped tightly around his stomach and her head was resting lightly on his chest.

Wendy gulped but did not remove her head from Peter's torso. Instead she just raised her eyes to find him looking down at her.

"Yes?" She squeaked, not breaking eye contact with him.

"Can you get off me? I think you've cut off the blood circulation to the lower half of my body."

"Oh," said Wendy letting go of him quickly. "Sorry." She muttered turning away to hide the red tinge in her cheeks.

"No problem." Replied Peter rubbing his stomach cantankerously. He looked down at his abdomen and saw light red markings where Wendy was gripping him and judging from the small segments of pain he felt in back, Peter was sure that she had left nail imprints all over his flesh.

Both parties stayed silent for a few moments before Wendy finally spoke up. "Peter?" She queried in an attempt to regain the boy's attention, as his gaze had wandered to the magnificent carving that festooned the high ceilings and walls.

"Sorry, what?" The adolescent boy answered, snapping out of his daze.

Wendy rolled her eyes. "I just wanted to know if you know where we are exactly?"

"Wha…?" Replied he, still not paying attention. Jumping down from the alter, Peter walked over to the wall and ran his hand over the stone engraved scripture.

Wendy rolled her eyes again and followed him over to the wall. She followed Peter line of sight and saw what appeared to be an obscure variation of ancient Gaelic. Being unable to read the foreign lettering herself, Wendy returned to her original task of attempting to get some information out of the-boy-who-refused-to-grow-up.

"Hello?" said Wendy waving an annoying hand in front of his eyes and clicking her fingers a few times.

Peter didn't bat an eyelid. "This is the ancient tongue of Neverland." He said softly, admiring the craftsmanship of the masterpiece that stood before him. The room was at least two hundred feet in diameter, the walls stretched for hundreds of feet into the air before coming to meet in a dome at the ceiling and ever square inch of it was covered in the same hand carved dialect.

"Peter, it is beautiful but don't we have more pressing issues to deal with at the moment…?" Wendy asked sweetly, before bursting out with: "Such as where the hell we are?!"

Peter turned from the wall raised a quizzical eyebrow at her. He looked her up and down to make sure that she was indeed the real Wendy. The Wendy who loved and cared for everyone and never got angry with anyone, Peter just flashed her his trademark mischievous grin and laughed. He loved the fact the Wendy was more outspoken now and didn't feel like she needed to behave like just a girl.

Wendy glared at his resolve. "Oh, yes Peter Pan, this must all be very amusing to you. We've been transportedto by and crumbling piece of rock and a strange blue light to an unknown stone hall and all you're concerned with are the pictures on the bloody wall!" Spat Wendy, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "You have got to be the most --"

But Wendy was cut short as the large wooden door flew open and slammed against the wall with an almighty CRASH!

Both Peter and Wendy spun around to see who had finally graced them with their presence. But there was no one to be seen. Confused, Wendy walked forward to see if someone was waiting around the corner for them, but stopped short when a stately crow walked into the room.

Completely bewildered, Wendy looked over to Peter to see if he understood any better than she did. Peter caught her eye and shrugged. He was just as stumped as she was.

"Ah, there you are," said the crow spotting Peter and Wendy over near the far wall and flying over to them. "They were beginning to think that you'd left so they sent me down her to retrieve you. So if you'll just follow me, we should be on our way."

The crow turned to leave but when he caught sight of the bemused looks on both of his charges faces, he had to ask, "what?"

"Did you just speak?" said Wendy finding her voice at last.

"Yes… is that a problem?" answered to the sounding rather befuddled but suddenly coming to the realisation that these children probably weren't used to talking crows.

"Right, well here's a quick run down," said the crow quickly, before continuing in a fast paced monotone voice. "I'm Anthotimbery, the narcoleptic crow, and as you have probably noticed, I can talk --"

"How can you be narcoleptic?" Queried Wendy.

"Well, occasionally I'll fall asleep without meaning to. Then, a few hours, minutes, seconds or whatever later, I wake up and most of the time I won't even realise that I was asleep. So moving on --"

"I know what narcolepsy is," said Wendy indignantly. "I just didn't know that crows could be narcoleptic."

"Well we can," snapped the Anthotimbery. "Now please save the rest of your questions until I've finished. Now, as I was saying, I am the servant to Lord Galahad and to make communication slightly easier, on both sides, he granted the gift of speech. Any questions?"

"So it was Galahad who transported us here?" Asked Wendy, sounding excited.

"Yes."

"And we're standing in his hidden fortress right now?" Added Peter, sounding just as delighted.

"Yes."

"And he wants to see us right now?" Said Wendy, grinning from ear to ear.

"Again, yes. And do you two have any other questions? The last three have basically been exactly the same question just worded differently."

"Just one, what was your name again?" Asked Peter innocently.

The crow huffed. "Anthotimbery." He pronounced eloquently, frowning at Peter. "Though there are some, who are incapable of undertaking such a difficult feat as to remember a name, who call me Tim. Now if that is all, do you think it would acceptable if I delivered you to my master now?"

Nodding eagerly, Peter and Wendy followed Anthotimbery out of the large mahogany doors and into the vast hallway and followed the crow, who had taken flight down one of many dark hallways. Afraid that they would loose sight of their escort, Peter and Wendy broken into a grudging jogged and all three of them began weaving through an impossibly complex labyrinth of hallways and tunnels.

After what seemed to Wendy like days, Anthotimbery finally ceased his flight and perched on top of another large wooden door.

"We have arrived," said the crow dramatically before turning to Peter. "Art thou fluent in the ancient tongue?" Tim asked him.

"Aye," Peter replied. "For I be well aware that his lordship will not take it kindly to those who doth not even have some basic grasp of his tongue. Though, thee would already be aware of this."

"Indeed I am young sir. Well, I see that thou art not an incompetent fool, as first imagined. What about thee girl?" Inquired the crow.

"Well… I'm not as fluent as the two of thee," replied Wendy, stumbling over her words slightly. "But I'm sure that I'll manage. John was a fanatic when it came to 'Ye Olde Speak' and I fear it may have rubbed off on me." She said, swinging back into normal English.

"Well, this is where I leave you," said the crow.

"Thank you, Tim," said Peter.

"Good luck," said Anthotimbery before turning and taking flight down the long corridor.

Peter watched the crow fade away into the darkness before drawing a deep breath and taking Wendy's hand in his own.

"Ready?" He asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Wendy replied through gritted teeth.

Drawing another breath, Peter knocked on the oversized door twice before pushing it open and walking inside to meet their mysterious host.

A/N: AH HA! I got it done! I finally had sometime on my hands when I didn't have to do bloody exams! Sorry again for the late update, but you know... my dad is going to shoot me if I fail. Righto, first of all, I know I said that the Galahad thing was happening in this chapter but I have an obsession with narcoleptic crows at the moment. This bloody crow fell into the bin at school and didn't get out for like 15 minutes and now I'm convinced that it's narcoleptic. I've had lengthy discussions with people about this coughalisoncough and I decided that I really needed a narcoleptic crow in this fic. So if you're all feeling a bit confused, don't worry about it. This chapter wasn't meant to make much sense. Secondly, I have to put disclaimers on the whole alter thing in the last chapter, that was ancient future (my most favourite book of all time). And, I need disclaimers on "There are some who call me... Tim". That's my monty python obsession coming through right there. I love monty python! Yay for monty python! And the last thing is the 'Ye Olde Speak' compliments of my insane cousin Kirstin. And just be warned, I'm very likely to put more of her stuff in here. I have a problem with picking up all her bloody sayings and it's driving me completely insane. Ok, moving on to answers to reviews: Draechaeli, that's great. Interesting was what I was going for so thanx. Liana2, hello again to you too. I'm ever so happy that you enjoy my fic. And thanx for all the encouragement dude, it helps :D. Oh and by the by, I'm just reinforcing my agreement with you about the whole Peter/Wendy thing. I'm in full agreement with you on that one. Bigreader, Yeah I'm sorry about the kids thing. That's another thing I've picked up from my cousin. But I'm pissed off at boys at the moment so we'll have together and hunt them down! Wow, I sound like an crazed lunatic… moving on. kasmira36 , I know that my chapter aren't long enough. But I really don't have time at the moment to make them any longer. But I'm glad you enjoy my myth :). Zeldy, Sorry I had to leave it there. But you know, work calls – starts swearing colourfully about work -. And I promise I didn't put you through the history of Faylinn for now reason, I will use it later. DreamlessMermaid, oh you amuse me so. Jack Sparrow all the way indeed! How bloody hot is Johnny Depp in general?! He's the sex god of sex gods! But I so don't agree with you on the orlando thing. **–shudders – **He's just not my cuppa tea. LJstagflower4e, I'm glad you're enjoying and thanx for the support dude. SinfulColours, thanx I'll try to update faster next time, I promise. RedHandedLillian, I can understand that. US history isn't exactly thrillsville. Do ancient history, it's much more exciting. Alison, mwahahahaha! Do you enjoy my quotes in this one? And my crow? Lol, I love that bloody crow. cerasi1, Kirstin! I have no idea how you found this fic but meh. I'm not really that wacky… well at least not compared with you. And I'll be sure to say hi to everyone for you. Maira, Well, you probably still don't understand John and Hook. But it will come. I'm just being weird and making everyone wait. Sorry All! Rolletti, yeah I know… I'm a terrible terrible person. I'll stop torturing you soon… mwahahahahaha. Silverflare07, cool, a new reader. Well thanx dude. I'll explain what's going on in the next chapter. Right well I'm done and now I'm running late.

Toodles kids!


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